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When Mattheakened, it was as any ani, and with the memory of what Walker had just quietly spoken to hiht but starshine and the poor candle of a quarter- to black, and Matthew could just see Walker kneeling at his side

"One minute," Mattheered, in an equally quiet, coht out his powderhorn In his firear, Matthew had been required by Greathouse to several tiht it had been ridiculous, but now he grasped the wisdom of the exercise He wished, indeed, that he&039;d practiced itout the door and to the coffeehouse as soon as possible But he would have to do the best he could, and if he oblin-he who soht and hot and soreenhorns-would soon correct him most harshly

He shook powder into the pistol&039;s flashpan, after which he closed the pan&039;s lid and thuht as he shouldered his shooter&039;s bag and stood up to follow Walker, they were in it for blood

Walker unsheathed his bow, took an arrow from his quiver and nocked it "Slowly and silently," he whispered "Stay onin from the left, about sixty yards out"

"How do you knowi"

"I got near enough to hear hier lies, but not many

They left the sleeping girl and herand entered the forest on the far side Matthew strained to see anything, and thought himself lucky not to immediately trip over a root or stu with ears between here and the City of Brotherly Love But the moccasins helped his feet read the earth and he moved slowly, at Walker&039;s pace One step, and stop One step, and stop His heart was beating hard; in this silence, surely Slaughter could hear the dru

When Matthew took a pace forward and dead leaves crackled, the noise seehter of ruffians in the Cock&039;a&039;tail tavern Walker stood motionless, and so did Matthew They stayed that way for what Matthew thoughtno noise, and leaned his head further toward the ground Then, at last, he stood up again and eased onward, correcting their course a few ray upon black were the colors of the night woods Matthew&039;s eyes were beco more accustomed to the dark; here the black stripes of tree branches were faintly seen across dark blue underbrush, and there a gray boulder rose up like an island in a sea of ink The two stalkers, seeking to intercept the third, continued steathily into the forest When thorns clutched at Matthew&039;s buckskin jacket and scratched his face, he barely paused in his advance His eyes soughtthe black patterns of vegetation He kept the pistol low at his side, his thuh the air was chill, sweat rose at his temples and dampened his armpits He was no hero born with iron nerves; every step he took, he thought he ht pee in his breeches

"Crouch down," Walker whispered, close to his ear

He obeyed Walker got on his knees, tilted his head and leaned forward, alround The Indian stayed in that posture as if frozen, while Matthew scanned back and forth across the dark

It was very quiet at first Just a hint of sound, before it beca crunched underfoot, almost directly ahead

The sound ceased, so quickly Mattheasn&039;t sure he&039;d heard it or not

Walker remained still

The back of Matthew&039;s neck crawled If that was indeed Slaughter out there, and not just any noctural ani as cautiously as they were It called to Matthew&039;s ht have known they would be here, and he was listening for them as well

The noise did not repeat itself Walker waited a moment more, and then he silently and smoothly rose to his feet

He took one step forward and stopped Then one step, again, and stopped His head went froet Matthew eased up next to hiht heel

Walker once more remained motionless, and Mattheith him They listened, in the silence

Matthew could only hear his heartbeat and the roaring of blood in his veins If any of that got any louder, he would be deafened

and now ahead again, but nearer was that the noise of a boot scraping across a stonei Or had it been a pistol&039;s striker being drawn to full-cocki

Walker&039;s elboas planted fire was clear: Wait

Moving his head in small incre ly and horribly, there came from the direction of camp a woman&039;s cry It was sharp and sudden, and beca for her mother Matthew realized she had awakened in the dark, with all the terror it unlocked in her fragmented mind In a few seconds the sound of her voice faded, as Faith had either drifted off again or Lark had been able to comfort her

Walker&039;s elbow moved frole step

So abruptly burst froht his hair had just turned white, had the sense of a sh the leaves sounded like a herd of deer, though the creature had probably been a rabbit or a woodchuck Walker stood as solid as a rock, but Mattheas left tree there Fortunately, he was still wearing dry breeches

But was there a shape ahead of theht, that Matthe one if it had ever been therei

"So moved," Matthehispered, his voice raw He started to point and thought better of it "ahead to the left"

Walker aimed his arroard that point, and when the Indian took his next step Matthew felt his guts twinge until it was evident there would be no side hie trees In another moment Mattheare of a faint and hazy lulow frous attached to rotting wood

Matthew kept alert for any furtherthe air There was a long pause, during which Matthew thought his teeththeency, "He&039;s close" a shape suddenly rose froh the thicket in front of them, but even as Walker let his arrow fly the shape flattened out once ed with the dark There ca a tree Walker reached back, took a second arrow froain, another fleeting motion Whether it was part of a shoulder, or a back, or a head, he couldn&039;t tell It was just there one instant and the next not The bowstring sang and the second arrow sped away No cry of pain followed There was only the silence and the stillness Walker readied a third arrow The Indian et Matthew lifted his pistol and cocked the striker; itjust off his right shoulder